Crane-type or “claw machine” arcade games are popular amusement devices often provided in game arcades, stores, or other public places. In these types of games, prize objects are provided within the game itself and are viewable by a player through transparent glass enclosure or the like. Upon the insertion of a coin or other monetary input into the game, the player controls a mechanical claw or extraction device with a joystick, buttons, toggle switch, or other control to maneuver the extraction device over a prize. The claw or extraction device is then lowered toward the prize upon activation either automatically by a controller such as a computer or manually by the player, depending on the particular game. The claw or extraction device is then either automatically opened when it reaches the level of the prizes or is opened under the player's control. After a predetermined amount of time, the claw may be automatically closed and elevated. Depending upon the claw's proximity and position with respect to the prize, the claw may or may not be able to grasp a prize and hold onto the prize as the claw is raised. The controller then moves the claw or extraction device over to a dispensing container and opens the claw, allowing the prize (if any is held) to drop into the dispensing chute and to be guided through the dispenser to an opening accessible to the player. In a common implementation, a sensor within the dispenser detects whether a prize has been won by the player. After the claw is opened over the dispenser, the controller moves the claw to its original starting position and waits for another insertion of the coin (unless the player is provided with multiple tries).
The prizes that the operator of a claw-type crane game can provide in the game are usually limited in selection due to the limitations of a mechanical claw. Since the claw must surround an object to be able to pick it up, most prizes in a claw-type crane game have been limited to plush animals, stuffed dolls, or other soft, rough-surfaced merchandise that can be surrounded and grabbed by the claw fingers and raised from the supporting surface. Usually, flat, smooth or thin objects are not able to be picked up and held by the claw. However, a large number of flat, smooth, and thin objects are desirable to used as prizes in a crane-type game, such as smooth-surfaced spheres or eggshell containers, boxes, gumballs, cups, bulbs, trading cards, etc. Players desire to win these types of items and operators desire to provide them; however, the standard claw type mechanism cannot be used to pick them up.
One solution to the inability of claw-type cranes to pick up these objects is to provide a different type of extraction device. One type of device that is used is a vacuum device that uses air suction to grab and hold an object. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,772 of Glaser (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), a vacuum embodiment of a crane pick-up game is disclosed in which a vacuum motor is suspended from a string and concealed by a facade or enclosure. The player may move the motor and lower the motor towards a field of prizes similarly to the claw in claw-type crane games. A spinning fan within the motor creates a suction force that is used to pick up and hold prizes. An orifice with a screen is used to prevent items from being sucked into the orifice. Prizes captured and held by the suction are dispensed to the player through a dispenser.
More recent vacuum crane games have improved on the concept and made the game more challenging. In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,374 (also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), a vacuum crane game is disclosed wherein the vacuum head is used to pick up one of the prizes using a suction force that is provided by a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum head by a hose and located away from the vacuum head. Moving the pumping apparatus away from the crane head mechanism provides greater maneuverability than previous devices that carried the pumping equipment at the crane head. In general, the vacuum crane game is characterized by a vacuum extraction device positioned above the prize or target area and may be moved along a horizontal axis above the prize area. The extraction device includes a vacuum head that may be raised and lowered toward a turntable in a z-direction. The vacuum head is operative to pick up one of the prizes using a suction force that is provided by a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum head by a hose. The vacuum pump is located away from the vacuum head to allow the vacuum head to move without interference. The player may control the movement of the extraction device to position the vacuum head over the prize area at a desired position, lower the vacuum head, and pick up a prize using the suction force. The extraction device is moved to a dispenser area and the suction force is removed, common with an electronic relief valve, to allow the prize to be dispensed to the player. The disclosure of my '374 patent is incorporated fully herein by reference. In another embodiment, the vacuum head may be moved in both x- and y-directions above the prize area and the turntable is omitted. Also, the vacuum can be created by a plunger type suction device, but a vacuum hose connection is preferable in some cases because disengagement is easily accomplished by turning off the vacuum to open an electronic relief valve.
With vacuum crane games, it is desirable to provide prizes having smooth continuous surfaces such that a seal can be formed by the vacuum head against the prize. Without a seal, the vacuum head cannot effectively apply suction to the prize sufficiently to enable the prize to be lifted out of the prize bin. As a consequence, prizes such as jewelry, candy, and toys are typically enclosed in transparent or opaque spheroids such as spheres and egg-shaped plastic containers. Such spheroids will have exteriors that meet the requirement of smooth, continuous surfaces allowing the vacuum head to make sealing contact. An example of this type of prize collection for a vacuum crane game can be found in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,881, entitled “Crane Game with Prize Redistribution Mechanism” and incorporated herein fully by reference.
The present inventor is also the sole inventor of a vacuum extraction device, U.S. Pat. No. 8,070,167, that required the crane to fit into a cup or receiving container before picking up the target. The difficulty of the game could be adjusted depending upon the size of the container and the length of projectiles that extended from the extraction device, making the margin for error smaller or larger depending upon the tolerances. The '167 patent is incorporated fully herein by reference. The foregoing demonstrate some of the arcade type games credited to the present inventor. However, the advent of the vacuum crane has led to the ability to include prizes of higher value, which in turn attracts more customers and more profit for the owner of the games. However, with greater value prizes comes the need to more accurately control the win percentage of the games to prevent the games from being won too easily.
Plastic, cardboard, magnetic strip, laminated, and many other “gift cards” have become a new kind of currency which has invaded the arcade industry. These gift cards can be awarded as prizes for various purchases. These cards can then be redeemed by players for merchandise, and can be a valuable source of revenue for the supplier. First, in many cases the gift cards can only be redeemed at the issuer's establishment, ensuring that the money spent on the gift card is used to purchase the issuer's goods, and is an effective way to get customers into their stores. The cards can also have advertisements, store information, and other useful information on the card that the issuer can use to advertise its business. The cards are easy to use, make good gifts, and can be discarded when depleted. For this application, the term “gift card” is to be understood as any card having either a magnetic strip, printed information, or other insignia that is used to store or reflect a designated value, or any other flexible thin card that is used in commerce.
While the cards may be excellent prizes that will attract new players, there is not an established way to incorporate the gift cards into the arcade games themselves. The present invention is to overcome this issue.